Fuse-setting device for aircraft bombs



Se t. 27, 1932. G. H. COOKE 1,880,122

FUSE SETTING DEVICE FOR AIRCRAFT BOMBS Filed March 31, 1932 g i\lliflllllllililllllm i llllilillllllllililll GEOFFREY EASLEWOOID COOKE, or LoNDoN, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HANDLEY LIMITED, or CRICKLEWOOD, ENGLAND, A BRITISH ooMrAnY Fatented Sept. 27, 1932 FUSE-SETTING DEVICE FOR A IRCRAFT BOMBS Application filed March 31, 1932, Serial No, 602,353, and in Great Britain Apri1'9,:19 31;

This invention relates to fuse-setting de vices for bombs ofthe kind in which the fuse is set by the withdrawal of a pin or other safety member consequent on the releasing of the bomb from the aircraft. In such devices the fuse pin usually has attached'to'it a loop of wire which is engaged by a hook or the like when it is desiredto set the fuse on release, and this hook has hitherto been me movable by mechanical'means' into or out of the loop. According to the present lnvention the hook is moved electrically into the loop and is free to be moved downwards'by .t thepull of the loop into engagement with a fixed detent which is-not in the path of the loop but which supports the hook. Conveniently'the fixed detent has a gap thereln through. which the loop would normally pass but which is bridged 'by'the shook when moved downwards by the'loop.

It will be appreciated that in such a construction the hook maybe very small'and light, and therefore capable of being actu ated with a. minimum of energy, since the shock of detaining the loop is not borne by the pivot or othersupport of the hook but by afixed detent. 7 l Several modified forms of the device are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is aside elevationshowing the" loop and fuse-pin in position, f

Figure 2 is a-slmilar vlew showlng the po- .sition of the parts immediately after the bomb hasbeen released'with the fuse set,- I

- Figure 3 is an end elevation in cross-section along the line IIL-III in Figure 2, Figure 4 shows the position of the parts at a later stage when the electromagnet has been de-energized, and r 1 Figures 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary side elevations showing three modified forms of the device.

The preferred form of the invention is illustrated-in Figures 1-4. In these figures the electro-magnet 10 is supported in a frame 12 of sheet metal which is secured in an upright position in a suitable casing (not shown), the bottomof which is indicated at 16. The windings of the "electromagnet a e connected through wires. 1 8, Fig i1re 1, to

source of current 20, and a switch 22 is pro-- vided whereby the electromagnet may be energized at will. secured to it a ,wire hook 26 which is bent to providea horizontal portion 28 and an up-l turned tip 30. The sheet metal of the frame is bentto providetwo partitions? 32, 34"ber tween which there is a pocket open at the bot tom for the reception of the fusing. loop '36. When the armature isretracted the. hook lies wholly OUtSldGthiS pocket as shown in Figure l and narrow slots 38 are made in the} partitions 32,- 34'to enable the hookto pass into the pocket when the armature is attract ed towards the left by the 'energiz'ation of the electromagnet as shown in Figure 2. When in this positionthe upturned tip 30 PAGE An iron armature 24 has is within orslightly to the left of the slot in the partition 32, and the horizontal portion 28 of-the hook extends-across the pocket near its 1 9 lower, end, but clear of the lower ends of the slots.- I

The upper end of the armature is bevelled as at 40 on the side remote from the electromagnet so as to form a knifeedge, and the part of the frame 12 which supports the pole-pieces of the electromagnet is bent over at an acute angle as shown-at 42 to'provide a V block in which the knife-edge engages. It is held in engagement by a steel wire.

spring 44 which is fixed rigidly at its right hand end to theframe ,12 and is hooked at itsfree end into arhole in a lug 46 project-.

ing fromthe bevelled surface 40 of the frame. As will be seen, the tendency of the spring is to movethe armature upwards, thus keeping theknife edge in engagement with the V block and also turningit anti-clockwise into the position shown in Figure 1. When the magnet is energized the armature and.

the hook are moved into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 against the stress of the spring' If now the bomb is released j or its supports. Consequently, the wholeideupperend toprovideaguard" 48 for the pur-,

' magnet on otherpar'ts of across the faces of the po1e piece as shown clearly in Figure 2. It will be appreciated that the shock of withdrawing the fuse-pin 46 from the bomb will be taken by the frame 12through the short horizontal'portion 28 of the hook, this frame being solidly sup:

ported bythe casing 16 and therefore this shock will not be transmitted to the armature.

vice may be made smal-l and light because it is not necessary to. take into consideration the shock consequent upon the withdrawal of the fuse-pin.

As shown in F1gure4,theloop 26'is r etained within the pocket afterthe 'elec't-romagnet has been deenergized, bein nipped between the tip 30 of the hook and the parti tion 34. Thus proof isprovided that the bomb was released with; thefuse set.- "The partition .32 is bentJatright-angles at its pose of preventing damage to the" electroforcible thrusting of theiloop upwards into thepocket.

" In the modified construction shown .in Figure 5- thearmatureispivoted at 50to a fixed part of the frame, and .the hook 26 is bent into the shapeof'a sickle so that its hori-' zontal tip 28 can readily yield downwards I into engagement with the lower ends of the slots 38. The armature is retracted by a coil spring 52. I 1 i I a i I Figure 6 the armature is merely plyoted to the free endof the spring 44 the 1 upward movement of which is limited by a 7 stop 54 and acoil spring52 isp'rovided for,

retracting the armature as in Figure 5',

In Figures 5 and 6 the hook is not pro vided with the u turned tipJ3O and the slots 38 are replaced y holes only large enough to allow the horizontal portion 28 of the hook to move freely into and. out'of the gap between the partitions. 7 i Owingto the; extremes of temperature to which "aircraft are subjectedand the consequent risk of freezing of oil or condensed moisture it is desirable toiavoid pivot pinsfor supporting members which are to be" moved by non-positive means such as elec tromagnets' and for the same reason. coiled springs are undesirable. For this reason the form of the device shown in Figures 1-4 is. preferred to those shown'in Flgures 5 and 6.;

The pivotal connection between the free end of the spring 44 and the lug 46 is not such p as to be objectionable, but if desired'th'is may.

be replaced by aknife edgeiconnection'as shown in Figure 7 where the end of the spring,

is shown bent round so as to present a sharp.-

I ened extremity 56 upwardly to an undercut notch 58 in the-armature. V

The mechanism may be variediin many wayswithinthexscope of the invention; for example the electromagnet itself may be the net replaced by a fixedsoft iron member.

he device by a. too- 7 moving part, or in. otherwordsthe movable armature may be provided with energizing coils and the pole-pieces of the electro-m'ag- I I claim I V 1. Ini a bomb fuse setting kind referred to, in combinati l a. member movable into and'out of the path of 'a fusing loop, and a fiXed detent-not in the path of the loop, said member beingcapable ofmoving downwards into supported engagement with 7 said detent by the downward pull of the loop consequent on the'rel'ease of the bomb.

. 7 7 7e 7 device of the W [2..In a bomb fuseisetting device of the kind referred to, in combination, a'member 1 movable into and out of the path of a'fusing' loop, iand aifixed detent belowfsaid member having an aperture .for the passage/of thev j fusing 'loopfsaid member being capable of movingdownwards by the pull of the loop. 7 7 consequent on the release of the bomb,-into lpp jn'g gement with -said detent across the aperture therein,"

referred to,incombina-tion, anelectromagnet,

3., Ina bomb fusesettingdevice oftheikind;

an, armature therefor,- a 'Inember carried by,

said armature, normally out of the path of a fusing loop but=movablethereinto by energization of the electromagnet, and a fixed detent not inthe path of the loop, said member being capable of moving downwards. into supported engagement with said detent by consequent-on v the downward pull of the loop the release of the bomb.

4. In a'bomb fuse setting deviceof the kind referredto, in combination, an. electromagnet, an armature therefor, a member carried by said armature normally out of the path'of V a fusing'loop but movable thereinto by enere gization of the-electromagnet, anda-fixed detent below said member having. an aperture for the passage of the fusing loop, saidjmember being capable of moving downwards by 7 the pull of the loop, consequent on'therelease? of the bomb, into supported engagement with said detent across-thejaperturetherein,

5. In abombfuse'setting device Of the.

kind referredto, in combinatioman electromagnet, averticallyadisposed armature there-I 'for,ra vertically movable membercarri'ed by. said armature, normally out ofthe path. of a fusing loop butmovablethereinto by en er-:

gization of the electromagnet, affixed detent not in the path ofthe'loop, and a spring adapted to retract the 'armature'fromthe lectroma-gnet and to support said memberiyield ingly against downward movement, said 7 member being arranged to engage/and be.

supported by said detent when moved downwards by thepull of the fusing loop.

6. Ina bomb fuse setting device of'the kind referred to,.. an electromagnet, an armature therefor, a spring yieldingly supporting said armature against downward movement, a

fusing-loop retaining member rigidly fixed to said armature and movable into the path'of the fusing-loop by the energization of the electromagnet, and a fixed detent below said member adapted to be engaged by and support said member when the latter is moved downwards by the pull of the fusing loop;

7. In a bomb fuse setting device of the kind referred to, a yielding fusing-loop-detaining member movable into loop-detaining position by electromagnetic means and a fixed detent co-operating with said member to sustain the shock consequent on the release of the bomb.

8. The invention of claim 5 wherein the upper end of the armature is provided with a knife edge which is normally held pivotally scatter in a fixed V block by the action of the spring but can be moved out of engagement with the V block by the pull of the loop.

9. The invention of claim 5 wherein the upper end of the armature is provided with a knife edge, and a fixed V block is provided of which the surface facing away from the electromagnet is flat and vertical, the knife edge being held in pivotal engagement with the \I block by the spring and sliding down the surface aforesaid when it is moved downwards by the pull of the loop.

10. The invention of claim 6 wherein the connection between the spring and the armature is constituted by a knife edge on the spring and a notch in the armature.

11. The invention of claim 3 whereinthe member is of resilient material and is of such ga-gement with the detent.

12; In a bomb fuse setting device of the kind referred to, in combination, a fusingloop-detaining member movable into loopdetaining position by electromagnetic means, and resilient means for returning said member to normal position upon de-energization of the electromagnetic means, said member being provided with an upwardly-directed element adapted to retain the loop after such de-energization.

13. In a bomb fuse setting device of the kind referred to, in'combination, a downwardly-yielding fusing-loop-detaining member movable into loop-detaining position by electromagnetic means, resilient means for returning said member to normal position upon de-energization of said electromagnetic means, and a fixed detent co-operating with said member to sustain the shock consequent on the release of the bomb, said member be-i ing provided with an upwardly-directed element adapted to retain the loop after such de-energization.

14. In a bomb fuse setting device of the kind referred to, in combination, a pocket for the reception of a fusing loop said pocket comprising vertical side walls and a floor having an aperture therein, a hook movable into and across said pocket from the side,

admit the hook, electromagnetic means for actuating said hook, and yielding means normally maintaining the hook above the floor of the pocket but permittingit to move downwards, under the pull exerted by the fusing loop as a consequence of the release of the openings being formed in the side walls to ICC 

